Bleh. Levels won't really save you much... just your armour and special abilities (that being what you choose to defend yourself with; Insomniac, Auto-Reflect etc). If you can protect yourself against his negative status effects, you've essentially won the fight. And by the time you're able to take him on, you'll have some pretty good armour, so the battle would be much easier.
And yes, make sure you've completed the Friendly Monster quest. Additionally makes the battle easier and more copable.
And yes, make sure you've completed the Friendly Monster quest. Additionally makes the battle easier and more copable.